YouTube is now the 2nd Largest Search Engine in the World. That’s right, #2, ahead of Yahoo and everybody else except my former boss, CEO Eric Schmidt at Google.

A high impact video strategy doesn’t have to break the bank. It can get you seen in YouTube search results, but also help your business in the other ways:

• Increased sales conversions
• Increased organic rankings
• Help customers understand your product or service
• Testimonials that create a personal connection
• Drive traffic to your website and blog
• Rich Media Content
• Add followers, friends and subscribers

Here are more examples of our video projects:

• Green Spin News
• David Saedi – CEO
• PilmerPR
• US Synthetic
• UVEF

“I’ve had it” were the parting words of Steven Slater as he exited the JetBlue flight via an emergency chute at Kennedy Airport. The media is all over the story, but what is the unstated message here?

Thousands of fans are flocking to Facebook to swear allegiance. Are they expresssing collective disgust with the decline of the “friendly skies” over the past decade? Or, are they saying something bigger about their collective disgust with the workplace?

There is no doubt that the airline industry has become a tougher way to travel over the past few years. I’ve blogged on that before (United ; US Air). My own experience includes lost luggage, late or cancelled flights, rude attendants, and cramp seating (that last one may be more my fault).

The ongoing economic slowdown is stressing most people out, especially the underemployed, businesses…well, everyone. Customer service in this environment has never been more important if you want to stay in business. And, if you work for “da man” you recognize your dependence on your current job, even if it stinks.

JetBlue is the poster child for the bad PR ripple effects of a decade of declining customer service, but they are just one among many.

What do you think?

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This past week, Hewlett Packard fired their golden-child CEO Mark Hurd–no, he “resigned”– with a $28M diamond-studded golden parachute. Why? Some CSR experts will say it was the responsible thing to do. You could also say the simmering sexual harassment scandal had something to do with it (you think?!). And, a $28M payoff–um-”severance”–may be pocket change when considered in context.

HP executives were quick to point out that Hurd’s leaving the HP herd should not be heard as having anything to do the the business health of the company. No, quite the opposite. Previous news led one to believe Hurd was being heard as key to the HP solution for all that ailed them. So, why the quick exit?

As a communications professional, I have to see this through Investor Relations  and Crisis Management eyes. Every penny movement in HP stock is worth around $10M in valuation. The 8% drop in stock price (around $9B) in after-hours trading following the resignation had to be viewed by HP as short-term collateral damage compared to the potential damage caused by a protracted scandal. And, HP has been there before.

Remember the 2006 scandal in which Chairwoman Patricia Dunn was forced out for overseeing an investigation that involved spying on reporters’ and directors’ phone records to suss out the source of leaks to the media. Well, the head of HP PR told me at that time that around 2,000 negative stories swirling around that fiasco eroded a half century of HP goodwill. HP is not interested in letting this Hurd thing create a stampede of the investor herd.

I see the stock rebounding at end of day today, which is a good sign - if questions regarding the board’s fitness don’t begin stealing headlines over the coming weeks.

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After his recent release of the tech thriller Green Spin on Amazon.com, author John Pilmer released the following to clarify his position on our stewardship regarding the environment. A fan of entrepreneurial business and green initiatives, John believes both business and sustainability can prosper in harmony with each other.

“People, Planet, Profits: the ’triple bottom line’ of sustainable Green. Not mutually exclusive, but interdependent, these three must all be present for any initiative to have staying power,” John Pilmer said. “Recent human history shows that extremes that weigh greed over Green have led us to our present where the ocean ecosystem is at risk and whaling boats are attacked by eco-terrorists, where pollution is rampant and extremists thwart the expansion of alternative energy because of a displaced lizard. When we balance the equation, we have found sustainability for corporations, stockholders, communities, people and the eco-system we depend on for survival.”

Read more at GreenSpinBook.com.

I love this article on CSR. It focuses on what I’ve been teaching PR clients for years: “First  Be Good, then Talk about it.”

Greenwashing is just the environmental version of getting the order wrong, “talk about being good, before walking the walk.” We have a corporate responsibility to answer to Society, the Environment, and Stockholders (people, planet, profit).  We do that by first “doing”, not talking about doing before doing.

Matt Dorey, 25, envisioned Curve Dental as a teenager.

Utah ranks high on list after list of economic indicators, including best places to start and grow a business. The state is the envy of others with an unemployment rate almost three percent lower than the national average. Why? To start with, according to Forbes, Utah is a “hotbed for entrepreneurs.” I would add that the state is also a hotbed for “whiz kid” entrepreneurs. Perhaps this is due in part to Utah public schools teaching entrepreneurism starting in the 4th grade.

We have heard a lot about two college students, Josh James and John Pestana, who started a little technology company that grew into the largest tech acquisition in state history – Omniture. But, they are just the start. Many know that Paul Allen dropped out of school to run his startup, Infobases. Later, he started MyFamily.com, which grew into the present mega-family history service, Ancestry.com. Novell, WordPerfect, the list goes on of legacy companies led by Utah’s whiz kids.

Today, a new crop of young people are farming for fame and fortune in new entrepreneurial startups. Utah Student 25 recently recognized 25 new startups that created more than 100 jobs and $3.9 million in revenue in 2009.

Matt Dorey began the research and development phase for Utah-based Curve Dental five years ago as a teenager with a vision for a simpler web application designed to bring the dental industry into the computing “cloud.”  After securing $9 million in funding, Curve Dental released Curve Hero earlier this year.  Still too young to rent his own car at 24, this young executive was recently named among the top five “People to Watch” among industry pundits.

Read more of John Pilmer’s post on Utah Business Blog.

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Today’s headlines quote outgoing BP CEO Hayward as saying the company’s response to the Gulf Oil Spill “has been a model of good social corporate responsibility.” From my PR chair, I think this is the capstone faux pas from the Brit. Even if he is correct, I don’t think anyone believes it. In fact, I suggest that for the next year or two any claims by BP regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) or going Green will be totally unbelievable to the public. And, their Crisis Communications consultants can quote me on that.

What do you think?

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Entrepreneurship is risky by definition. Success demands confidence in the face of challenges. An entrepreneur must believe in his/her product or service, or no one else will.

But when does healthy assurance become dangerous arrogance?

A few months ago, Forbes Magazine published the article (and accompanying slide-show), 10 Arrogance Traps For Entrepreneurs. The warnings are sound, and some go counter to conventional wisdom.

In Part 6 of 10 of PilmerPR’s “PR 101″ webinar, John Pilmer discusses five traps from the list we feel are most common and dangerous to entrepreneurs.

To learn how PilmerPR can help your business reach audiences with a proper communications strategy and spokesperson training, visit our contact page.

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Today’s news from Energy Solutions in Utah is good news. I am pleased with this decision to nix importation of foreign nuclear waste into Utah or the U.S. for that matter. There is already a big Green PR blunder waiting to happen the first time one of the n-Waste carrying trains is derailed or attacked by terrorists.

Perish the thought, what kind of media torture would be applied to stakeholders for the first ship containing n-Waste to sink or spill in the ocean – due to natural causes or terrorists. You might look to the gulf oil spill to get a flavor.  Just imagine the headlines, “International Outcry Over Nuclear Waste Offshore Spill” or “UN Wants Energy Solutions to Go Get That n-Waste 2 Miles Down.”

As a Utah citizen I applaud this move. As a guy seeking a sustainable future for my children, I applaud this move. As a public relations professional I definitely think it’s the smart thing.  For now, we need the benefits of nuclear power along with clean coal, solar, wind, CNG, biomass, etc. We need them all.  However, transporting international n-Waste across the ocean is one more risk we need not take.

PilmerPR.com
LinkedIn group: Office of Sustainability
Tweet @GreenSpinNews

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Utah’s Fastest-Growing Startups Recognized

UVEF Awards 2010 “Top 25 Under Five”

PROVO, Utah – July 8, 2010 – The Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) today announced the winners of its 2010 “Top 25 Under Five” Awards, spotlighting outstanding Utah entrepreneurs and start-up companies. Award recipients were recognized today at ceremonies held at the Provo Novell Campus. Omniture, Silicon Slopes and InnoVentures sponsored the event. UVEF recognized Agel Enterprises (www.agel.com), a nutritional supplement supplier, as the number one performer among Top 25 nominees.

“The first five years are the most challenging for a new startup,” said UVEF 2010 chairman John Pilmer. “These companies not only demonstrate impressive growth in these early years, but do so during the greatest recession of our lifetime. If these companies can excel in a down economy, we can’t wait to see what they do in a recovery.”

David Bradford, Chairman of Fusion-io, emceed the ceremony. Fusion-io is a rapidly rising star on the tech landscape of Utah, where Bradford has pioneered over the past two decades. He praised all finalists for their entrepreneurial spirit and contributions to Utah’s business community.

“These companies prove to the business community that Utah entrepreneurs continue our state’s remarkable history of entrepreneurial leadership,” Bradford said. “New business startups here remain a strong and thriving force in the development of our local and national economy.”

This year’s other award recipients are Imagine Learning, Local Results, High West Distillery and Saloon, FundingUniverse, SEO.com, Simply Mac, FamilyLink.com, Entice Labs, Pounders Hawaiian Island Grill, Jive Communications, Campus Book Rentals, Kynetx, Parallel HR Solutions, Zoobies, Franchise Foundry, ILLUMRA, Snapp Conner PR, Appigo, CFOwise, Lumos, Xcelus, Fiftyfilms, Qualified Address and Izatt International. Nominations were judged on revenue growth and job creation.

This is UVEF’s eleventh Top 25 Under Five competition. UVEF has highlighted the development of more than 200 individuals and their companies through the ceremony, including Utah success stories like Omniture, Skullcandy and Xango, among many others.

About UVEF

The Utah Valley Entrepreneurial Forum (UVEF) is a volunteer non-profit support group linking entrepreneurs to Money, Markets, and Mentors. Celebrating 21 years of new business success, UVEF empowers current and future business leaders to thrive in today’s competitive market. We provide real-world, practical education and valuable resources on how to access needed capital, attract new customers and tap into industry experts. For information on upcoming meetings, speakers and exclusive membership benefits visit www.uvef.net.

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